Monday, September 20, 2010

Exploring Wikipedia

After browsing several topics on Wikipedia including the border wall and politicians, I finally decided on the two articles I would write about.  Living in South Texas many of our students research The Rio Grande Valley.  The article on Wikipedia seems fine but many population and percentage information is stated without citations.  There is even a note on top of the page stating that the “article needs additional citations for verification.” In fact, I wouldn’t allow my students to use any Wikipedia article that had that type of notification.  I also browsed through several TV series, movies, and books.  I would allow my students to use the article based on “Looking for Alaska,” which mentions characters, plot, and even discusses the controversy without taking sides.  I would also like to share an article I found while researching the accuracy of Wikipedia.  The article mentions 3 main topics that are prone to inaccurate or biased information such as politicians, celebrities, and fantasists.
Rio grande valley.   (2010) In Wikipedia, Retrieved September 20, 2010, from             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande_Valley
Looking for Alaska. (2010) In Wikipedia, Retrieved September 20, 2010, from             http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_for_Alaska
McLaughlin, M. (2008). Falling exam passes blamed on wikipedia 'littered         with inaccuracies'. The Scotsman, Retrieved September 20, 2010,     from         http://news.scotsman.com/education/Falling-exam--passes-blamed.4209408.jp

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